PHONEBLOKS

Abstract:
Electronic waste is a growing problem in the world. As technology is
more rapidly developed and made accessible to the public, an increase in the
disposal of old electronics becomes more imminent. Electronic waste is harmful to
the environment and the amount that it attributes to the waste stream can be
reduced. Electronic products such as mobile devices are ubiquitous and the rates
with which they are acquired and replaced by the consumers continue to rise. The
current mobile device market encourages the acquisition of new devices more
often than the end-of-life of the entire product. To create a more sustainable
technological future, there must be a reduction in mobile device contribution to
electronic waste. The problem of electronic waste with specific focus on mobile
devices is approached from a systems engineering perspective. We performed a
requirements analysis of alternative architectures that could potentially encourage
and inspire customers to keep mobile devices for longer durations. In particular,
we explored the idea of Phonebloks or a modular device, identified the critical
factors in the development phase as outlined by ISO 15288 and ISO 9001
standards, and implemented a survey to evaluate user interest. This research
explores a proof-of-concept design for a mobile device that is durable and
customizable. A modular device allows for the consumer to replace a piece of the
phone rather than the entire phone when they need to update their device. The
consumer base is important to the success of the product, and our survey indicates
a significant potential for consumer interest. The success of such a device could
influence the development of more sustainable devices that will further encourage
environmentally conscious technological design.